Rejecting the bail application of the rape accused former Bishop of the Jalandhar Catholic Diocese, Franco Mulakkal, the Kerala High Court accepted the prosecution’s argument that the priest might as well influence the witnesses if he is enlarged on bail.

According to Kerala Police, as more and more complaints were submitted, allowing bail to the accused will retard the progress of investigation. It may be recalled that on September 24 the Pala Judicial Magistrate Court in Kottayam had remanded the priest to judicial custody till October 6. Ever since Mulakkal has been lodged in the Pala sub-jail. The priest, who has been accused of raping a nun multiple times during the period of 2014 and 2016. Demanding his arrest, the nuns were protesting and subsquently he was arrested by the Kerala Police and produced in a magistrate court in Pala on September 22. Mullakkal was sent to police custody till September 24. What is more, the priest’s lawyer had moved a bail application, which was eventually rejected by the magistrate court. Furthermore, on September 22, the Kerala Police submitted a remand report to the court stating that the bishop had visited the convent with the aim of sexually assaulting the nun and in May 2014, Mulakkal illegally confined her in room number 20 of the guest house and subjected her to unnatural sexual assault. The police further stated that the priest threatened the nun with dire consequences, if she ever disclosed the incident to the outside world. The victim was sexually assaulted as many as 13 times in the same room between 2014-2016, as per the remand report. Mulakkal was earlier summoned by the police and after intense interrogation for three days, the rape accused bishop was arrested on September 21.

Sister Anupama has revealed that the purpose of Father Nicholas Maniparambil‘s visit to Kuravilangad Nunnery was apparently to influence the sisters living there. Sister Anupama also made it clear that Maniparambil also told the sisters that the action of the sisters to lodge a police complaint and the eventual agitation was wrong.

“Father Maniparambil visited the Nunnery to create a guilt feeling amongst the nuns and further scuttle the Kerala Nun Rape Case. He also told the nuns that they were taking part in the agitation by joining hands with non-Christians and against Order”, Sister Anupama said and added that the nuns received support from a group of good human beings.

Father Maniparambil clarified that he visited the Nunnery as the nuns belonged to the same Diocese. He further clarified that there was no change in his stand. Father Maniparambil had initially supported the cause of these nuns and eventually, he showed allegiance to Bishop Franco Mulakkal on the sensational nun rape case, in which, the latter was arrested by the Kerala police after three days of intense interrogation.

The rape accused priest of the Catholic Diocese of Jalandhar, Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who was arrested September 21 by the Kerala Police, was sent to judicial custody till October 6, 2018 by the Pala Judicial Magistrate Court this morning, according to the news agency, ANI.

The police said in the remand report that the medical examination corroborated that the nun was sexually assaulted and added that the bishop had not only exploited the nun using his spiritual authority but also misusing ‘A Day With The Bishop’ programme. The police also claimed the priest tried to scuttle the investigation by influencing witnesses. The police, while seeking the custody of the priest had said that the attire worn by the priest at the time of the rape and his laptop need to be recovered. The police grilled the priest for three continuous days and all the while the alleged rapist had stuck to his claim that he did not rape the nun. Apparently, when the police found contradiction in his statements along with the circumstantial evidence the statements of the witnesses and the nun herself, the police arrested Mulakkal under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

The rape accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal of the Catholic Diocese in Jalandhar, who was arrested yesterday and admitted to Kottayam Medical College Hospital was discharged this morning.

The priest has been accused of raping a nun 13 times between 2014 and 2016 was arrested yesterday and when he complained of chest pain, Mulakkal was hospitalised in a hospital at Kottayam and he was kept under observation. After discharging from the hospital, police took the bishop to the police club and he will be eventually produced before a court in Pala.

Overnight, he was kept under observation at the cardiology department. When the doctors gave clearance stating that he is fit, the police whisked Mulakkal to the police club. After three days of intense interrogation, the bishop was finally arrested yesterday and the police claimed that they had found substantial evidence against the priest. Meanwhile, the nuns, who were protesting against the bishop demanding his arrest, went on jubilation mode, when the news of the arrest came.

The Roman Catholic Priest of Jalandhar Diocese, who stepped aside as Bishop, has been arrested by Kerala Police after intense interrogation for three days over the sexual assault charge levelled by a nun of the same seminary against him, according to Indian Express report. Mulakkal was arrested after 5.00 PM and he will be produced before the magistrate at his residence, according to informed sources. The priest had earlier sent a letter to Vatican asking Pope Francis to temporarily relieve him of his responsibilities as the Bishop of Jalandhar Diocese.

The arrest comes a day after the Vatican had accepted his request and relieved Mullakkal of the administrative responsibilities of the Missionaries of Jesus, Jalandhar Diocese. Meanwhile, news agency, Press Trust of India has quoted senior Kerala Minister EP Jayarajan as saying, “Investigation is going in the right direction. The government is with the victim. The government is with the nuns staging the protest. Certainly, the government will take all necessary steps to identify the culprits and bring the guilty to book.”

The Kerala High Court will hear the bishop’s anticipatory bail plea on September 25, while it had also asked the Kerala Government to file an affidavit. Dismissing the allegations as baseless, the bishop had earlier termed it as a “conspiracy”, that has been hatched by a group of people who are against the church. What is more, the priest also accused the nun of lying. “The nun is lying, made up the case against me because I had ordered action against her. Police have no evidence against me that’s why they have not arrested me,” Mulakkal said. As early as June, this year, the nun from the same diocese lodged a police complaint against the congregation’s patron bishop Mulakkal, of raping her and subjecting her to unnatural sex on multiple occasions over two years since May 2014. A case was registered by the Kottayam police on June 28 and eventually, the policed grilled him for the last three days and the resultant arrest as well.

In response to a letter the Catholic bishop of the Syrian Malabar Church, Franco Mulakkal had sent to Pope Francis of Vatican four days back stating that he wanted to relinquish his office temporarily, in order to fight the case against him for allegedly raping a nun, a statement from the Catholic Bishop Conference of India (CBCI) said the bishop was relieved of his pastoral duties. The statement read, “Bishop Franco Mulakkal has been temporarily relieved of his pastoral responsibilities by Vatican.”

Replacing Mulakkal, the Pope had appointed Bishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of Bombay, Agnelo Rufino Gracias as the Apostolic Administrator of the Jalandhar Diocese with immediate effect, the statement said. The announcement comes amidst the interrogation Mulakkal is facing from the Special Investigation Team for the second day. The interrogation is still going on and according to the police sources, the arrest of Mulakkal can happen in a day or two. A nun, belonging to the same Jalandhar Diocese has lodged a complaint stating that the bishop raped her. Based on that, the SIT, headed by DYSP K Subash has been interrogating the priest for the last two days. As the questioning is likely to be extended to the next day, the protest by various Catholic reformation entities and group of nuns have entered its 13th day today, with the public support growing by each day.

Meanwhile, the nun who is alleged to have been abused by the priest had also sought urgent intervention of the Vatican for justice and asked for immediate removal of the bishop as the head of Jalandhar Diocese. The nun had questioned as to why the church was closing its eyes to the truth, when she had made up her mind to make public her suffering. The affected nun had also alleged that Mulakkal was using political as well as money power to bury the case against him. She further alleged that between 2014 and 2016, the bishop had sexually assaulted her repeatedly, a charge, which was vehemently denied by the clergyman. The priest had dismissed the allegation terming it as baseless and concocted and further insisted that she had levelled these allegations as the Catholic order had rejected her demand for favours.

As Jalandhar Catholic Diocese bishop Franco Mulakkal has told the Kerala police team yesterday that he was innocent in the rape allegation of the nun and he was being targeted by the nun against personal vendetta, the interrogation is continuing for the second day.

Today is a crucial day for the bishop, as the investigating officers have found contradiction in his statements and are ascertaining his statements at present, when the interrogation is still going on in tandem. The message that is emanating from the police sources indicates that if the bishop continues to stick to his earlier statement persistently, then police is not ruling out the option of arresting Mulakkal. Yesterday, the CID officials grilled the bishop for more than seven hours, but Bishop Franco Mulakkal stuck to the same stand. The information the police obtained from the bishop yesterday was ascertained by the police team led by IG Vijay Sakhare. Based on the information, the investigating team is trying to corroborate the statement by the bishop and to expose the contradiction threadbare, as the pressure is mounting on the police and the state government.

The number of protesters are rising by the day not only in Thripunithura, but in other parts of the state. Popular Malayalam film actorJoy Mathew organised a protest rally in Calicut supporting the nuns at 5.00 PM on August 12 at Mananjira Maidanam in front of the late poet SK Pottekad’s statue.

But Bishop Franco Mulakkal seems to be unfazed and he had already presented the evidences favouring him in front of the investigating officers, who are ascertaining those details as well.

Evidence is crucial

The Kottayam SP, Harishankar had on September 18 said that there is no hassle for the police to arrest the bishop in the light of the latter moving the high court for the anticipatory bail on September 18. The decision to arrest the bishop will be based on the interrogation and the resultant evidence.

Bishop Franco Mulakkal, accused in the nun rape case has once again told the Kerala Police CID personnel that he was innocent and added that the nun has lodged a complaint out of personal vendetta. The bishop is reported to have told the police at the ongoing interrogation. Bishop Mulakkal also reiterated that he did not stay at Kuruvilangad Congregation on that day he was alleged to have committed the crime or any of the 13 times he was alleged to have raped the nun.

“Although, I visited the place on May 5, nevertheless, I did not stay there”, the bishop was reported to have told the police. As this report is being filed, the interrogation of Franco Mulakkal is progressing at the High-tech Office Cell of the Crime Branch Department of Kerala Police in Tripunnithara, Ernakulam district. Kottayam SP Harishankar and DYSP K Subash are interrogating the bishop. As of now the police have been interrogating the bishop in excess of three hours and according to reliable sources, the grilling might as well continue for more time. Police have collected evidences from many eye-witnesses including the bishop’s driver. As of now, how long will the interrogation will take is not clear, but, it is likely to be extended beyond today. If the bishop fails to convince the police by answering all the points from the questionnaire, Mullakkal is likely to be arrested. Meanwhile, supporters of the nun have taken out a procession to the IG’s office demanding the arrest of Franco Mullakkal, who came one hour late . The nuns who were protesting expressed hope that justice would prevail once the interrogation is completed.

Bishop Franco Mulakkal from the Jalandhar Diocese is facing the Kerala Crime Branch Police today for an interrogation regarding the case registered against him for the rape of a nun. The bishop, who arrived yesterday in Kochi had in fact, moved the Kerala High Court for an anticipatory bail sensing trouble that he would be arrested by the Kerala Police. This is the second time that the priest has been interrogated in connection with the alleged crime.

It may be recalled that the Kerala Police had gone to Jalanandhar to question Bishop Mullakkal recently. The bishop has arrived at the Crime Branch office just a while ago. A five-member police team from the Crime Branch, led by Vaikom Deputy Superintendent of Police, K Subash will question the bishop. So far, the police has not arrest Bishop Mulakkal, as he is cooperating with the police, the department did not feel the compulsion of arresting him, Subash said and added the police could arrive at the doorstep of the bishop, if the need arises. At the end of the interrogation, if the police could get enough evidence, the bishop might as well be arrested, as per highly placed sources.